food

So #Veganuary is over and were well on our way into the month of February.

When I first took on the challenge, I wasn’t worried at all; I had a pretty vegetarian/healthy lifestyle and hadn’t drunk milk in years… Plus, what could be so hard about living a plant based life?

WELL. There were a few struggles along the way… First off, I was shocked at how many products contained milk. Once I even picked up a packet of nuts, believing that they would be a safe bet. But NOPE. This selected pack contained milk for some reason, which made me wonder about the story behind our mass production with our food products.

From the Veganuary newsletter.

I did some research on the farming industry, the dairy suppliers and the history of veganism. I had a basic knowledge on it all, but being (just like anyone else I presume) a person who grew up in a ‘meat and two veg’ family lifestyle, it wasn’t something people really ‘cared’ for, let alone talked about and understood.

Doing #Veganuary suddenly wasn’t just about ‘eating right’… It was a lesson, a big fat lesson. One to see what was really going on in the world. I looked at food very differently, it was fuel for my body, and I needed to be a little more careful on what I was intaking.

Paradise UnBakery – Kensal Rise

So after gaining some much needed knowledge and packing a fridge full of vegan friendly items, I was well away with my new lifestyle. I checked the back of everything that I came into contact with if I was buying food from the supermarket, and spoke about vegan options with waiters in restaurants. I was hungry (literally) for more information and I was enjoying the vegan lifestyle more and more each day.

I suddenly became a pro at food prep, something that I never really did before, as an occasional meat eater. I realised how much I was not intaking within my diet previously. Looking back prior to January, I was not eating reguarly and was a ‘picker’. With a busy lifestyle, food was sometimes on the back burner and after being ill a numerous amount of times recently without a cause, suddenly the lightbulb went off in my head – I had my answers.

Becoming a ‘vegan’ made me pro-active on making sure I had the right macros, as I had removed a lot of would-be items from my meals. I needed to make sure that I replaced them with nutritious alternatives.

I was suddenly aware of when I needed certain foods and made sure that I had enough fuel for when I was training. I was much more alert, much more active and I felt incredibly positive with the changes that I had made.

My body had changed somewhat too, only slightly, mind you; but I was definitley trimmer around the edges. Overall, regardless of the way I looked, I felt healthy. The healthiest I had felt in a long time.

FED By Water – Dalston.

Coming to the end of the month, I started to threat over my choices. Although I had MANY positives, I had also missed a few things that were once an everyday option in my life. Eggs was a big one, I would eat them daily, but suddenly I had no choice but to eradicate them from my dinner plate.

Secondly, I missed my night time Ovaltine. I know, I know, before you say it, I AM THAT GUY. It was a comfort thing over anything else, and as this contained milk, it was something I had to get rid of too. Other than that, apart from the one or two times I was hungover (on vegan wine of course) and wanting halloumi BAD, I did not miss anything else from my previous diet.

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On the social side of things, I suddenly got a lot of stick as a newbie vegan. I would hear many a statement of how I wouldn’t be getting ‘the right nutrients’ within my diet, or that being #vegan, meant that I wouldn’t be able to eat anything apart from lettuce and leaves.

I would get the odd lecture from others stating why I should eat meat and dairy, being told that I can’t be an athlete if I was to go full time vegan and blah blah blah…

Suddenly I was part of a group that were frowned upon by many, which made me somewhat angry, because why did people feel the need to comment on what I was eating? Was it affecting them? No. Would they listen to me if I told them what to eat? NO.

On the other foot, I spoke to the vegan crowd, some being very scrict on the lifestyle, which meant that some views were a little overwhelming for me. I didn’t want to be awkward or throw my opinions down anyone’s throat because of the lifestyle that I had chosen (which I had seen before) but luckily this was few and far between. Most of those had helped me out with useful advice, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Although it sounds like I was joining a new group of friends at school, it wasn’t like that at all, I had wanted to make the changes and I’ll get grief from both sides I can imagine… But this is my life.

From the Veganuary newsletter.

To conclude – I am happy with the huge changes that I have made, and my body is loving it too. The worries I had about ‘slipping up’ or having an off day, have been pushed aside, as I had learnt that it would be about the bigger changes that I would be making.

I won’t say that I’ll never eat a ‘non-vegan’ item again, because sometimes it isn’t always accessible… I’ll have to admit that.

However, from now on I will be making a conscious effort to follow the life of Veganism. I have jumped upon the bandwagon, and I’m here to stay. Slowly but surely, this will be instigated within all parts of my life. I can’t wait to see the bigger changes.